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Thread: Questions about God

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    Questions about God

    I am currently writing a paper for a Comparative Religion class. I have three questions that I wish to pose to two different people. Preferably one in his/her 20's and one in his/her 50's. If anyone here is willing to help it would be great. I am not Hindu, but I respect your beliefs and take no issue with them. I am seeking information about a religion that is not easily attainable were I live. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

    Ben

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    Re: Questions about God

    Quote Originally Posted by BeninKY View Post
    I am currently writing a paper for a Comparative Religion class. I have three questions that I wish to pose to two different people. Preferably one in his/her 20's and one in his/her 50's. If anyone here is willing to help it would be great. I am not Hindu, but I respect your beliefs and take no issue with them. I am seeking information about a religion that is not easily attainable were I live. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

    Ben
    Vannakkam: Sure, I'll volunteer, and try to give you 3 different answers from 3 POVs: Hindus in general, my sect's, and my personal. I'm still in my 50s. PM me if you wish.

    Alternatively, you could post the 3 questions on here, and be prepared for a multitude of different answers.

    Aum Namasivaya

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    Re: Questions about God

    Vannakkam,

    I'm 21 and wouldn't mind giving my views, if you feel I'm not too young.

    Eastern Mind gave a great suggestion, if you want more perspective that is.


    Aum Namah Shivaya

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    Re: Questions about God

    Namaste!

    I'm 27 and relatively new to my faith, so I might not be as helpful as someone who has grown up with Hinduism. But you are welcome to contact me if you wish. Or as EM said, post the questions here.
    "God will not have his work made manifest by cowards."
    ~Ralph Waldo Emerson


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    Re: Questions about God

    I'm 18, and willing to answer. I suggest you put your questions up on this thread.
    namastE astu bhagavan vishveshvarAya mahAdevAya tryaMbakAya|
    tripurAntakAya trikAgnikAlAya kAlAgnirudrAya nIlakaNThAya mRtyuJNjayAya sarveshvarAya sadAshivAya shrIman mAhAdevAya ||

    Om shrImAtrE namah

    sarvam shrI umA-mahEshwara parabrahmArpaNamastu


    A Shaivite library
    http://www.scribd.com/HinduismLibrary

  6. #6

    Re: Questions about God

    removed
    Last edited by BeninKY; 13 March 2013 at 02:02 PM.

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    Re: Questions about God

    I have sent each of you the questions via private message. I would prefer you answer them there and send back. I will also post them here so anyone can answer, but I need you answers to not be influenced by another. Once again thank you so very much for your interest.


    Here are the questions. I would prefer that you answer them all from your own, personal perspective. Feel free to elaborate as you feel the need. Once again, thank you for your help, and I value your thoughts.

    1. What is your image of God? (That is, do they picture God as having gender or age? Does their God wear clothes? In other words, if they were to try to draw a picture of God, what would it look like?)

    2. Do you believe God punishes people? (If they believe God punishes people, find out what sorts of things deserve punishment, and how punishment takes place—that is, could God inflict disease as a form of punishment, or is punishment the natural consequence of a destructive action, or what? If they do not believe God punishes people, ask whether they believe God interacts with people in any other way.)

    3. What do you believe is the main purpose of human life? (In this question, try to find out whether they believe that the top priority of human life is to win access to heaven after death. Or do they believe it is more important to make this life as good as possible, and if so, why?)


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    Re: Questions about God

    Quote Originally Posted by BeninKY View Post
    I have sent each of you the questions via private message. I would prefer you answer them there and send back. I will also post them here so anyone can answer, but I need you answers to not be influenced by another. Once again thank you so very much for your interest.


    Here are the questions. I would prefer that you answer them all from your own, personal perspective. Feel free to elaborate as you feel the need. Once again, thank you for your help, and I value your thoughts.

    1. What is your image of God? (That is, do they picture God as having gender or age? Does their God wear clothes? In other words, if they were to try to draw a picture of God, what would it look like?)

    2. Do you believe God punishes people? (If they believe God punishes people, find out what sorts of things deserve punishment, and how punishment takes place—that is, could God inflict disease as a form of punishment, or is punishment the natural consequence of a destructive action, or what? If they do not believe God punishes people, ask whether they believe God interacts with people in any other way.)

    3. What do you believe is the main purpose of human life? (In this question, try to find out whether they believe that the top priority of human life is to win access to heaven after death. Or do they believe it is more important to make this life as good as possible, and if so, why?)
    Dear BeninKY,
    I am 51 and here are my inputs to the questions.

    1. What is your image of God? (That is, do they picture God as having gender or age? Does their God wear clothes? In other words, if they were to try to draw a picture of God, what would it look like?)

    In Hinduism the perception varies from "I and God" to "God in All" to "All in God". More towards the right means the one towards the left becomes inclusive i.e if one has a perception of "All in God", then the other two becomes subset of it. If one perceives like "God in All" then "I and God" becomes subset of it. If one perceives as "I and God" then that becomes his only view.
    My perception is "All in God". Now when I say All (percievable & non percievable) in God, then as you understand there is no gender, no age, no shape, no size. God is beyond this. God is timeless, attributeless, unchangeable, infinite, etc, etc. Just like the cells and organs build up this body, all percievable and non percievable elements build up God and that include all of us. Though God cannot be defined we can only try to percieve through some limited examples. One is the ocean - limitless. Icebergs of different shapes and sizes are formed and is part of the ocean. These becomes visible part though the same is part of the ocean. The visible part manifests out of the transperant invisible water and will unmanifest in the same invisible water. We (all matter - gross and subtle, will manifest from the base substratum called consciousness and unmanifest unto the same). The movement is from Consciousness to subtle matter (mind and intellects are part of it) to gross matter and then reverse.

    2. Do you believe God punishes people? (If they believe God punishes people, find out what sorts of things deserve punishment, and how punishment takes place—that is, could God inflict disease as a form of punishment, or is punishment the natural consequence of a destructive action, or what? If they do not believe God punishes people, ask whether they believe God interacts with people in any other way.)

    Can we say Ocean is punishing icebergs ? No. Ocean is only an enabler of icebergs. The shape, size, etc (attributes) are because of their own position, location , etc. God is the totality. In which how we are acting, thinking, etc are upto us. Base on what we do, think, etc our destiny is fixed. The destiny is in our hand. God only enables us by providing the consciousness. The results of our destiny is because of the past karmas (activities - mental or physical). There is no concept of sin and punishment. Just like if I do a mistake in exam, my marks become low, similarly in life. Every moment I have a choice to make. The combination of those choices make you what you are today. I chose to become engineer, I chose one company over another, I chose my wife, I chose my city, I chose my vehicle, etc, etc. These choices at each moment of life makes us what we are today. These only make the people unique in skills. God does not intervene in this. This is highly automated system running on its own. The only rule that is there is Permanence to Impermanence to Permanence. Anything and everything (even the rules of physics) will enable this rule and follow this rule.

    Now about interactions with God. The fact that we have 5 senses and we try to perceive anything and everything only through these 5 senses, has limited our capabilities. Even if these 5 senses were not there, then also the universe will be there. Or if we had more senses, we could have perceived much more than what we perceive today. We hardly use the master sensor - the MIND. It is through the conditioning of this mind and educating through right knowledges, that we can understand God. That is why when people go to church, mosque, temple they start looking inward and derive more peace and satisfaction. This is because God is within us all the time. But we are mostly focussed on external things, so we lose the sight of God.

    3. What do you believe is the main purpose of human life? (In this question, try to find out whether they believe that the top priority of human life is to win access to heaven after death. Or do they believe it is more important to make this life as good as possible, and if so, why?)

    How should I categorise the universe based on the evolvement ? I have mentioned that the movement of evolution is from consciousness to subtle matter to gross matter. We all have all the 3. Consciousness, subtle matter and gross matter. The consciousness does not change, gross matter (my body) remains with earth after my death, only the subtle matter - MIND moves with me. "I" is a sense out of mind and that is why "I" does not dies.

    The gross matter is farthest away from consciousness. In the gross matter space supports the stars, stars supports the earth, the earth supports the water and air. Then these support the plant kingdom, the plant kingdom the herbivorous animals, the herbivorous animals support the carnivorous animals and then comes the omnivorous animals. Out of the omivorous animals, humans are the most evolved with high logical powers (this is unique). Only humans have choices to set their destiny. Otherwise other animals would have progressed like us, have schools, colleges and industries.

    So all other gross matters are in support role and are below humans. In Hinduism it is divided into 6 lower lokas (stratas). Then the human which is the 7th strata. Thereafter it moves into subtle matter, which is beyond the 5 physical senses and is not limited by locations. There are 7 lokas above us. The 7th loka will be closest to the consciousness layer. Now these lokas are without bodies.

    Depending on the status of the mind (quality of mind), the mind choses a corresponding body. The lower forms have bodies but no logical powers, the upper forms have mind but no body. In both the cases they do not have power to alter the state of mind. It is only in case of human, we have the right balance of logics and body to alter the state of this mind. That is why human birth is one of the sacred birth. It is in this birth, we have the power to make the minds more refined and move to higher lokas. Now why do I need to make the minds purer. This is again the same rule - permanence to impermanence to permanence. Higher the lokas, more is the permanence.

    Now why the births and deaths (manifestations and unmanifestations) ? This is a cycle going on continuously - it has no start, no end. What I can do is to come out of this cycle by moving from impermanence to permanence.

    Would be glad to provide further clarifications you might need.
    Last edited by kallol; 14 March 2013 at 10:54 PM.
    Love and best wishes:hug:

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    Re: Questions about God

    Hi BeninKY,
    I hope you have read all the works of Joseph Campbell and seen the Mythos videos . My idea of God/Goddess is same as what he teaches..Brahman.
    āĨ ā¤Žā¤šāĨ‡ā¤ļāĨā¤ĩā¤°ā¤žā¤¯ ā¤¨ā¤Žā¤ƒ

    || Om Namo Bhagavate Rudraya ||

    Hara Hara Mahadeva Shambo Shankara

  10. #10

    Re: Questions about God

    Namaste!

    I am a 20 year old male living in Washington State, U.S.A.

    1.) This is a difficult question to answer while still pertaining to all "Hindus" because "Hinduism" does not necessarily have one form that all worship. There are Hindus who believe in: a formless God only, God with infinite forms, God with both formless and infinite forms, as well as atheist Hindus.

    The Gods in the Hindu pantheon, though, are strong images of the truth of the Universe we live in. Their imagery is used so that we can have a relationship with God. For instance Shiva, the consciousness of infinite goodness, would be a little hard to sit down and imagine if all that was given was that he was infinite, good, and represented all consciousness. So, we use these deities to help our minds grasp the concepts.

    To me God is represented by my Guru, Shree Maa of Kamakhya. When I think of the word God, my mind is inevitably pointed towards Her infinite beauty. Of course, this is just my personal favorite, my chosen form of God. Some choose Shiva, Durga, Kali, Vishnu, or all of them!

    2.) God punishes no one. Karma is the best way to explain this. Karma is everything, it is every action that becomes unto us and every one we carry out. Some Karma is predetermined by things that we have already done, some is yet to be determined, and some can be changed. Kripa is a good word to describe what you are asking. Kri means do, and Pa means get. Kripa , as one word, means grace; Kripa is God's grace by getting what we put in. No matter what you do, you will receive the fruit of your Karma. Whether that is bad or good is determined by you!

    3.) This question relates to the first. When you ask about form of God Hinduism prefers, I can't tell you because "Hinduism" is not a true religion. Hinduism is a collection of religions, a way of life. In Hinduism God can be infinite and finite at the same time. I LOVE my Guru and see Her as God, I still worship the other Gods and Goddesses as She does, but others may see Her as just another human being.

    The true answer to both the first and this question is Sanatana Dharma. Sanatana Dharma is the eternal ideal of perfection. We each have our personal Dharma, determined by our mental tenancies and patterns, which we strive for weather we are conscious of it or not. The Sanatana Dharma is the main underlying theme in "Hinduism" , it is the highest ideal which all beings strive for. In my Guru's tradition , which is now mine as well, this is yoga (union), this is God realization.

    To unite with the ultimate truth of reality, that is to realize that all is one and one is all, is our highest ideal. All beings strive for it whether they realize it or not. It is as Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, " Regardless of what one does, they invariably walk towards me". This is to say that no matter what you do, you are in some way , whether conscious of it or otherwise, striving to attain perfection. We are all walking towards God.



    I hope this helps!

    With Love,
    Elijah

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